The Karaoke Master
by OliviasA90sKid
Summary: Taben's Peak has their annual festival, where Nall wants to declare his love for a special red dragon. Will he have the guts to do it?
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first FanFiction story, and hopefully not my last! I got this idea from _res123_. Thank you so much! I hope you like this story!

I don't own any of the _Lunar_ games, copyright to the original owners, etc.

* * *

Joseph Harrison had always loved Taben's Peak. Ever since his parents died in a horrific shipwreck, he had stayed here. The caretaker of this mysterious place, a kind teenage-looking boy by the name of Nall, had taken him in four years prior, when he was only five. Whenever little Joey had a problem, he knew he could always go to Nall. He was the big brother figure of all of the 25 kids here! So one night, when he woke up in cold sweats after a nightmare about his parents' death, Joey knew exactly where he was headed.

With his usually sparkling green eyes now glassy, and his normally shiny cardinal-colored hair now matted in sweat, Joey carefully and quietly made his way to Nall's quarters. He figured Nall would be asleep at this time, seeing as it was 2 in the morning. But he didn't really care. Nall was always understanding when it came to the orphans' problems. Just as he was approaching the door, he heard some sort of music. It wasn't slow, nor was it fast. It sounded like a love song.

_ What the heck is going on in there...?_ Joey thought. Why is Nall listening to music at this time of night? _Well, there's only one way to find out..._

He turned the doorknob slowly so he wouldn't startle Nall. After all, he didn't want to get the leader of this big ol' orphanage mad. He's seen Nall angry, like whenever he burns their pancakes in the morning or he didn't catch enough fish to last him the week. As he turned the knob, he noticed the music come off.

"What were you doing in here?" Joey asked curiously. He didn't want to seem nosy, he just really wanted to know.

"Uh.. well, you see- um, the real question is, 'What are _you_ doing up so late?'" Nall managed to stutter out. His cheeks were very flushed, almost the same shade of red as his eyes, and his snowy white hair was looking messier than ever, as if he had been awake for hours. Joey noticed he was hiding something behind his back.

"What are you holding? Are you _hiding_ something?" Joey teased. Nall got even more embarrassed, if that was even possible. Joey ran over to him and tried to swipe whatever he was holding, but Nall was too tall and cupped it in his hands over Joey's head.

"Come on, tell me, Nall! Be a sport! Be a pal! Please? Please? Pretty, pretty please?!". Nall had had enough at this point and finally decided to show him after a few moments of a "yes-no" verbal tug-o-war.

"Ugh, okay, Joey, okay! But you have to _promise_ me not to tell Ruby or any of the other Dragon Kids, you got it?" Nall held out his pinky for the ever-so-famous "pinky swear". Joey's previously watery olive green eyes had dried and he had completely forgotten what he had come to Nall's room for in the first place. He was just plain excited now. He stuck out his pinky happily and exclaimed, "Yay! A secret! I love secrets! You've got a deal!" His freckles were beaming at this point and Nall had never seen him so happy before.

"Okay, well, you know how our annual "Taben's Peak Mini-Festival" is tomorrow?" Nall asked shyly. "Well, yes, of course! How could I forget?!" Joey replied rather loudly. Nall knew Joey was an excitable little boy, but he was getting very loud and he was afraid the others would wake up.

"SHHHH!" Nall replied, annoyed. "Okay, well, I wanted to sing a special song and I was just practicing, see?" He showed Joey the item he was holding in his hands just a moment ago, a microphone. "Well, okay... So what's the secret?" Joey replied impatiently. The suspense was killing him.

"Well, I was thinking of singing the special song for Ruby," Nall said meekly. Just the mention of her name made him blush. She had been staying with him and the Dragon Kids for about a year now and this would be the first time she would be seeing their annual little festival. Nall had taught her how to change into her human form by his point, which she liked. She rarely ever changed back into her dragon form, only to hunt for fish or travel to places faster. She was beautiful. To him, anyway. She looked pretty ordinary, with the exception of her bright red eyes. She always had her dark pink hair in a long braid, down to her waist, with a big yellow ribbon in her hair. She looked to be about 16, with Nall looking about 19.

"Wait a _minute_," Joey said suspiciously. Uh oh. Nall knew what was coming. Joey had figured it out. "Do you, ya know, _like_ Ruby, or something?" he said with a teasing grin. There it was.

Nall only nodded, his cheeks burning hot. He felt like a little boy admitting his first crush. He was _far_ from a little boy, being about 1,000 years old, but every mention of Ruby made him feel young again.

"Woah! So are you gonna confess your _love _to her at the festival, or somethin'?" Joey asked with a hint of naivety. "_Yes_, Joey. Do I have to spell it out for you? I need you to help me with my voice. I sound like a dying dragon." Nall chuckled at what he had just said. None of the kids knew he was a dragon, and he didn't want anyone to find out. They only knew Ruby was a dragon.

"Okay! That should be easy. Lucia taught us how to sing in tune when we saw her last," Joey replied. "Perfect! Let's get started then." Nall turned on the karaoke machine and the song that he had been singing earlier turned on:

_If I can't have you_

_I don't want nobody baby_

_If I can't have you, uh-huh, oh_

_If I can't have you_

_I don't want nobody baby_

_If I can't have you, uh-ho_

Joey eyed Nall as if he had three heads. "What? I like love songs, so what?" Nall said defensively. The cute little redhead just laughed and began to teach him the basics of singing. Halfway through their lesson, there was a knock at the door.

"Wh- who's there?!" Nall shouted, trying to act as casual as he could. He was hoping, _praying_, that it was anybody but Ruby. Please, _anyone_ but her!

"I-it's me! Ruby!" she replied mockingly. He could hear the annoyance in her voice. She didn't like to be woken up. He found out the hard way one day. "Oh. Um, come in," Nall said. He really didn't want her to see the surprise yet. He wanted to wait for the perfect moment. She opened the door and stomped inside, her braid waving from side to side like a flag.

"What is going on in here? Especially at four in the morning! You know we have a festival tomorrow to attend to, don't you?! Get some sleep!" she shouted, her crimson eyes reddened further with anger. She wanted an answer, and Nall knew he couldn't give her one. Not now, anyway.

"Nothing's going on in here. Maybe you're hearing things. And your shouting certainly isn't helping any of the other Dragon Kids get any sleep so why don't you lower your voice?!" Nall said in an angry whisper.

"Oh yeah? 'Nothing's going on in here'? Then what's _this_?" Ruby snatched the microphone from Nall's hand and waved it in the air. "And what's little Joey doing in here?" her voice softened as she was addressing him. She was mad at Nall, not him. "You know we have a festival tomorrow. Why don't you get to bed?"

"Um, I-I can't," Joey said. "It's a secret."

Nall turned red from this. He knew Ruby was going to be even more curious now that Joey revealed it was a secret. Ruby was even more nosy than he was!

"Oooh! A secret?! I have to know! What is it?" she said, her eyes glowing with curiosity.

"N-nothing! Now get out and l-leave us alone!" Nall stuttered. He could never speak well when he was nervous. It was definitely _not _his forte.

"Aw, come on! 'Secrets, secrets, are no fun'-" she began. "-'Unless you share with everyone'!" Joey finished, with a smile. Nall gave him an evil glare and his expression quickly changed back to his previous one. "Okay, that's enough. Now, Ruby, if you would-" he motioned his arm to the door, wanting desperately for her to leave.

"Okay, fine. But if you wake me up again tomorrow, Nall, you're _really_ gonna be in for it!" she waved her fist in the air while wearing a very angry expression on her face. Nall couldn't help but chuckle at this. He always thought she was so cute when she got angry. "Okay, okay, I get it." He closed the door behind her and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"_Phew!_ Okay, Joey. Where were we?"

* * *

I hope you liked it! I'll try to get the next/last chapter up soon, hopefully tomorrow! :)


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was beginning to set, and the festival was going exactly as planned. Ronfar, Jean, Leo, Lemina, and even Ramus had shown up on time a few hours ago. Ronfar had brought his famous "Quesadillas De Ronfar", Jean had just finished her dancing routine, Leo- _ahem- _"Mystere" had shown up to "save the day from evil forces", and Lemina and Ramus had just finished their very _boring_ lesson, "How To Effectively Fill Up Your Piggybank".

Nall had really gone all out for this show. He had put on a very elegant black suit and tie, and combed his hair very nicely, so that his spikes were perfectly arranged. He didn't put on hairspray, though. He hated that stuff. He also decided to let all of the Dragon Kids join him on stage for his performance as secondary vocalists to his special song, just so he wouldn't be as nervous and flustered. Everyone knew how much of a mess Nall could be when placed in an embarrassing situation.

With all of their parts rehearsed and ready to go, Nall and his 'funky bunch' began to walk out to where the main part of the festival was being held; the backyard. The sun was now completely set, with a full moon beginning to approach. Nall could feel his palms starting to sweat profusely, his heart beating out of his chest, almost as if he was having a heart attack. He turned around to face all of the kids as soon as they all stepped out of the entrance of the door.

"M-maybe this isn't such a great idea, guys. How about we call this whole thing off and get some ice cream? Who's with me?!" he said as enthusiastically as he could without sounding like a coward.

"Oh no ya don't!" said Piper, the youngest of the bunch. She was 5 years old, with short, light brown hair in two little pigtails with lime green bows on both sides. She, like Joey, had freckles, which were even darker and more noticeable than his. Her eyes, a chocolate-brown color, were eyeing Nall teasingly. She was very intelligent for her age, and she knew why he was trying to get out of this.

"Don't just quit because you're nervous! Show Ruby you're a _man_!" She flexed her non-existant muscles as she shouted this, which comforted Nall and made him laugh. This was the main reason why he loved being a Dragon Kid leader and these kids' caretaker. He loved them so much, even more than they loved him, which was more than any of them could explain.

"Yeah, Nall!" the other Dragon Kids agreed. "You show her!" "Go get her, Tiger!" "Surely she'll feel the same way!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I guess you guys are right. And don't call me Shirley!" Nall said with a small grin. "Besides, if I don't tell her today, when will I?"

"Exactly! Now, let's get movin'!" Joey said, pushing Nall towards the stage where all the equipment (an amplifier, seven sets of microphone stands including Nall's, and the karaoke machine) was set up.

The scene was perfect, just as Nall imagined it would be. The stage, made of a perfectly shaved wooden board which was big enough to fit all of its 26 performers, was nicely lit, with the moon acting as the main source of light. It set the perfect, romantic mood he was going for. There were also four poles on each corner of the stage with a string connecting them at the top, with two long, red sheets acting as the stage's curtains. The curtain was closed off, so all they had to do was step inside...

With Ronfar, Jean, Leo (Mystere had left a short while ago), Ramus, and Ruby in the audience, Lemina made her way to the stage to present the final performance of the festival.

"And now, for the moment I'm sure you've _all_ been waiting for, I now present to you the performance of Nall and the Dragon Kids, with their rendition of a song you all know and love!" Lemina shouted in her usual hyperexcited way. All she received in return were the chirps of the crickets that made their way outside as soon as the sun had set.

"Um, I can't _HEAR_ you!" she yelled in an aggitated tone. "Oh yeah, sorry," and "Whoops!" were some of the responses of the crowd. "Thank you. Oh, and by the way, the tip jar is right over there if you want to make a small donation," she managed to spit out before Nall peeked his head out of the curtain. "Lemina, can we hurry this up?! Pull the curtain already!"

As the curtain opened, slowly but surely, Nall felt a lump rise in his throat. He knew he had stage fright, but this was definitely not the cause of his nervousness. His palms were so drenched with sweat, he was afraid he might drop the microphone and look like a fool in front of Ruby and the others. He felt the rush of blood go to his head as he had all of these thoughts, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. _Thump, thump. Thump, thump_. Then, he heard the music begin, and he started to sing:

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you_

_You'd be like Heaven to touch_

_I wanna hold you so much_

_At long last love has arrived_

_And I thank God I'm alive_

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you _

Nall was staring right at Ruby while he was singing this, so it was pretty clear that he had planned this the entire time. Ronfar, Leo, Jean, Lemina, and Ramus had all left Ruby alone in the audience, another part of the masterminded plan. Ruby just stared right back at Nall, her eyes glistening and her lips twisted into a small grin. She seemed to be enjoying the performance, which put Nall at ease.

_I love you baby_

_And if it's quite all right_

_I need you baby_

_To warm a lonely night_

_I love you baby_

_Trust in me when I say_

_Oh, pretty baby_

_Don't bring me down I pray_

_Oh, pretty baby_

_Now that I found you, stay and let me love you, baby_

_Let me love you... _

At last, the song was over, and Nall turned around to face his group of tiny singers. "Great job, you guys," he said softly. "You have no idea how much I appreciate this. Thank you." He started to get a little teary- eyed at this. The kids didn't have to do this for him. They could've just assumed he could've handled this by himself, but no. They didn't. They wanted Nall to finally find his happiness, just like he had found theirs.

"It was the least we could've done, Nall," said Tommy, the oldest of the bunch. He had just turned 14, with shiny, jet black hair and emerald colored eyes. "You've done more for us than any of us can ever do for you. We should be the ones thanking _you_."

"Yeah, he's right!" said Piper and Joey almost simultaneously.

"_Thank you, Nall!_" they all cheered in unison.

Suddenly, Nall felt a small tap on his right shoulder. He whipped around quickly, to find none other than Ruby herself.

"That was a great performance!" she said in an almost surprised tone. "Who knew you could actually sing?"

"Well, the Dragon Kids helped me," he said. He turned around and winked at the group, which was a sign for them to give him his privacy.

"Right, well let's go get started on dinner, you guys," said Tommy. "The sooner we eat, the sooner we get the cake!"

"Oh yeah, cake! Let's go!" The rest of the kids ran as fast as they could to the door, almost knocking each other over as they went.

"So, um, you liked my song?" Nall asked, unsure of how to break the ice.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" she asked, looking oblivious.

"Well, is there anything you would like to say? You know, now that everyone's inside and we're by ourselves?" Nall asked, sort of taken aback that she didn't understand what he was getting at.

"What does being alone have to do with what I have to say about your singing? It was a good performance. That's no secret!" she said, giggling, like _he_ was the one acting dumb when it was really her.

"Oh, come _on_, Ruby!" he shouted, finally losing his temper. "I went through all of this practicing for you, I almost had a heart attack on that stage, and you still don't get it?!"

"Get _what_?! I said I liked the song, what more do you want from me?!" she shouted even louder, matching his bad temper.

"Oh, you know what, Ruby? Just forget it. Forget I even sang. Forget this whole festival! I thought you were mature enough to understand what true love is, but obviously I was wrong!" His face started turning a scarlet color, both from yelling _and_ from feeling like a moron.

"Oh, is that so? And just how do you know what true love is, Mr. Smarty-Pants? Huh?! Tell me!" She was standing firmly with her hands at her hips now, just mere inches from him. Her hair was looking pinker than ever, her eyes shimmering in the moonlight. He was speechless at how radiant she was when he got a good look at her.

"Uh- w-well I know b-because," he began, feeling the most nervous he's ever been in his entire life. He had to do it. He had to tell her how he felt. Even if she didn't feel the same way, it was worth a shot, right?

"Go on," she said impatiently, patting her foot on the wooden plank of the stage. "I'm waiting."

"Because I love you, Ruby! Okay?! Do I have to spell it out for you?! I l-o-v-e you! Alright?!" He turned his back to her at this, his cheeks burning and his heart beating a million miles per hour. He suddenly felt her turn him around to face her again, as she kissed his already burning cheek. She pulled away from him, smiling the biggest smile he had ever seen from her. He lifted his hand to touch his recently pecked cheek.

"I know," she said with a hint of amusement. "I knew as soon as you started singing."

"W-what?! Then why didn't you tell me you knew? You made me feel like an idiot!" he said, half- relieved and half- angry.

"Exactly! I like to see you flustered, silly! You know that!" she giggled, the butterflies in his stomach whirling around rapidly.

"Oh, heh. Well, do you-" she cut him off with a fast, yet soft kiss to his lips. She pulled back, rather quickly, and he saw that she was blushing, too.

"Does that answer your question?" she said with a smirk. "Now come on, your backup singers might have eaten all the cake!" She took his hand in hers and dragged him inside, where all of the kids began to stare at them.

"Did ya tell her?!" Joey said excitedly, with a goofy smile spread across his chubby face.

"Sure did!" Nall said as he picked Joey up and laid him on his shoulders for a famous "piggyback ride".

All of the Dragon Kids rushed over to Nall and gave him the tightest hug they could muster in their tiny bodies. This was the best day of Nall's life. Saving Luna and the world of Lunar came in close second.

Now, Nall knew for a fact he would never be lonely again. For the first time in almost 1,000 years, he could finally be _happy_.

_THE END_

* * *

Yay! My first story! I hope everyone who read this enjoyed it! I'd love to make more, so be on the look- out! Thank you!_  
_


End file.
